Fastening device.



E. LUDEKE.

FASTENING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. ms.

1,3DQ, 429, Patented Apr. 15; 1919.

INVENTOR -[zaieke $7 7 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

EMIL LUDEKE, or nocnnsrnn, lvnwronk.

FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed May 20, 1918. Serial No. 235,432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL LUDEKE, of the city of Rochester, county ofMonroe, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fastening Devices; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,and to the reference characters marked thereon.

My invention is in the nature of an improvement of the devices disclosedin my application for a patent for fastening devices, Serial No. 173,280, filed June 7, 1917. The object of the present invention is toprovide an improved fastening device for vehicle curtains or the like ofgreat efliciency and not liable to become loosened by accident. Afurther object of the invention is to increase the number of engagingmeans and to provide means for retaining the actuating lever in lockingposition.- To these and other ends my invention consists in certainimprovements and combinations of parts, all as willbe hereinafter morefully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims atthe end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the separable members constructedaccording tomy invention Fig. 2' is a bottom view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the keeper;

Fig. i is a longitudinal sectional view of the device;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the same;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the operating lever enlarged, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the retaining devices forthe operating lever.

Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

My invention is especially adapted for fastening the curtains or otherparts of the top of an automobile or other vehicle to the frame. In thepresent instance, a keeper is secured to the frame and devices aresecured to the curtains which cooperate with the keeper or a similardevice which may be secured to the keeper. The keeper 1 is secured tothe frame or other support by means of screws or otherwise. The keeperis provided with a central recess 2 which provides locking shoulders 3which are opvices of the cooperating member. The cooperating membercomprises a housing 7 struck u from sheet metaland provided with a purality of lugs 8. The lugs 8 are adapted to extend through the fabricof the.

curtain and on the under side engage a plate 9'. The construction issuch that the fabric is engaged between the plate 9 and the lower outeredge of-theplate or housing 7 to secure the member to the fabric. Theplate 9 is cut away atits central portion to provide an opening 10 and;atopposite ends of said opening is provided with downwardly bent lugs11. The plate 9 is constructed of resilient sheet metal andthelugs 11are adapted to be sprung into engagement with the locking shoulders 3 ofthe keeper or similar locking shoulders provided in the housing of asimilarly constructed retaining member. It will be noted that the lugs11 are bent slightly away from each other at their bases to mo-rereadily lock against the shoulders ,3 when spread by meanspresently tobe described. The lugs at their lower or inner ends are bent slightlytoward each other as at 12 to provide cam portions with which thespreading means engages.

. The outer plate or housing is provided with a central recess 13adapted to receive an actuating lever 14 which extends through saidopening and also through the opening 10 in the plate 9. The lever isprovided with trunnions or pivots 15 by means of which it is mountedinopenings in the lugs 11. The lever is adapted to be moved on its thelug 18. The actuating lever 14 is also provided with cam faces 19adapted to engage the resilient locking lugs 11. Said cam faces areformed on an extension or projecting flange 20 on the lever and on whichthe trunnions 15 are also formed. When the lugs 11 are seated in thekeeper and the lever 14 swung to normal locking position, the cam faces19 engage the lugs 11 and spread the same, thus securely fastening saidmember to the keeper.- The finger-piece is sprung past the lug 18 whichsecures it in normal locking position. The recess 13 in the plate 7 maybe formed like the recess 2 in the keeper so that when in locking position, it may be employed as a keeper and a second fastener securedthereto.

I have also provided means for further securing the fastener againstdisplacement by lateral strains, said means comprising a curvedextension lip or projection 21 on the lower side of the flange 20 of theoperat ing lever 14' opposite the finger-piece 16. The construction issuch that when the finger-piece is in normal locking position, theprojection 21 engages the under side of the keeper 1 adjacent the edgeof the recess 2 provided therein,and operates to relieve the 2. Afastening device comprising a keeper and a cooperating member, a leverpivoted in said cooperating member for movinga plurality of engagingmembers into engagement with the keeper, a fingerpiece on the Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for clever and meahs cooperating withthefingerpiece to lock the lever in normal position.

3. A fastening device comprising a keeper and a cooperatlng member, anactuating lever on the cooperating member having a finger-piece, ahousing for the lever havlng a depression for the finger-piece, andmeans in said depression for retaining the lever in looking position.

4:. A fastening device comprising a re cessed keeper provided'with aplurality of locking shoulders, and a cooperating fastening memberhaving a plurality of retaining m mbers, a pivotally mounted actuatinglev'er cooperating with said retaining members when moved to spread themapart into engagement with the locking shoulders and separate means forlocking the lever in locking position.

5. A- fastening'device comprising a re-- cessed keeper provided with aplurality of locking shoulders, and a cooperating fastening memberhaving a plurality of oppositely disposed retaining members, a pivotallymounted actuating lever cooperating with said retaining members tospread them apart into engagement with the locking shoulders andseparate retaining means on the lever for engaging the keeper.

6. A fastening device comprising a pair of separable members, a pair ofoppositely disposed retaining devices on one of said members, a leverfor actuating said retaining devices and a cooperating retaining deviceon the lever.

7. A fastening device comprising a pair of separable members, a pair ofoppositely disposed. retaining devices on one of said members, a leverfor actuating'said retaining devices, a' cooperating retaining device onthe lever, -and means "for locking the lever.

' EMIL LUDEKE.

five'cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patent: Washington,13.0.

